The Board of Nursing’s mission states: “In order to safeguard life, health, and the public welfare of the people of this state and in order to protect the people of the state of New Hampshire from the unauthorized, unqualified, and improper application of services by individuals in the practice of nursing, it is necessary that a regulatory authority be established and adequately funded. To further this policy the practice of nursing shall be regulated through the New Hampshire Board of nursing, and said Board shall have the power to enforce the provisions of this chapter. Any persons who practice or offer to practice nursing or who represent themselves as registered nurses or licensed practical nurses without qualifying under this chapter endanger the public health.” http://www.nh.gov/nursing/about/mission.htm (accessed on 22.04.2009)

Health System

Health care in the United States is mainly provided in the private sector (both for profit and for non-profit) and to a lesser degree by public funding for the poor, elderly, disabled, children and veterans. The United States does not have a universal health care system.

In the United States expenditure on health care in actual dollars and as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) and on a per-capita basis is greater, than in any other nation in the world. The World Health Organisation reports that in 2005 the US total expenditure on health as 15 % of GDP and that the total expenditure on health per capita was $US6350. http://www.who.int/countries/usa/en/ (accessed on 22.04.2009).

In 2006, around 84% of US citizens had some form of health insurance and about 16% of the population, or 47 million Americans were without health insurance coverage. http://www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf (accessed on 22.04.2009).

The number of acute care hospital beds in the United Statesin 2000 was 2.9 per 1 000 population. Bed numbers have declined and this coincides with a reduction in average length of stays in hospitals and an increase in day-surgery patients. The United States has among the lowest average lengths of stay for most procedures. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/20/48/16502658.pdf (accessed on 22.04.2009).